A WHEELY GOOD WAY TO GET FIT.

Byline: Euan McArthur

DUNDEE UNITED star Lee Wilkie last night revealed he is set to hit the road in his quest to be fit for the new season.

The Tannadice skipper underwent a tidy-up operation on his knee last week when surgeons removed some torn cartilage from the affected area.

Wilkie is already making steady progress and aims to be fighting fit for the start of a gruelling, two-week workout when Craig Levein's players report back from their summer break in early July.

The 28-year-old defender won't be put through hours of incessant running like the rest of his team-mates because of his well-documented knee problems in the past.

But United boss Levein has specifically ordered a bike for the stopper so he can sweat it out on the roads around their plush St Andrews training base.

Wilkie said: "The operation went well and my knee has been getting better with each passing day.

Different "The doctor tidied it up a bit and took away some of the cartilage that was floating about in there.

"That means in a couple of weeks I would expect it to be much better, which will allow me to do much more training.

"I won't be doing all the running the rest of the lads have got in store for them but our physio Jeff and the manager have decided the bike is the best plan.

"We've ordered a couple of them, one for myself and another for Jon Daly, so we'll be heading out over the summer on the roads.

"It's something a bit different from normal but it's just the kind of exercise my knee requires so in that respect I'm looking forward to it."

But while Wilkie is using a bike to get fit, United assistant boss Peter Houston looks set to miss pre-season training after he was caught up in a freak cycling accident.

Houston, 50, was riding his bike near his home outside Glasgow when he had to suddenly brake because of a stray dog, forcing him over the handlebars.

He has broken both elbows and been told he will be laid up for the next month which means he might miss the first few days when the players return to mark the start of their pre-season build-up.

But his boss is finding it hard to be sympathetic. Levein said: "The moral of this story is 50-year-old men should not be riding their bikes through Easterhouse.

"He was bothered by a stray dog, had to brake, went over the handlebars and landed right on both elbows. He's broken them so for the next month he won't even be able to drive.

"That makes it touch and go for the start of pre-season but right now all we are doing is trying not to laugh when we speak to him."

CAPTION(S):

ON YOUR BIKE: Wilkie